Building will return to motel roots; Mohave County gets online nod

A lodging property at 6570 Flag Mine Road has been purchased by Everett Burge of Hualapai Investments and will be renovated into a four-room motel near Hualapai Mountain Lodge. Zoning was changed from residential to commercial. (HUBBLE RAY SMITH/Miner)

Everett Burge of Hualapai Investment plans to renovate a shuttered lodging property on Flag Mine Road, off of Hualapai Mountain Road, into a small motel with four rooms.

"It's real small to help accommodate people in Jeeps and four-wheelers, something overnight for the weekend," Burge said after Mohave County Supervisors changed zoning for the Hualapai motel.

Burge requested a zoning change from residential-recreation to commercial-recreation to allow for development of the motel near Hualapai Mountain Lodge. Because more than 20 percent of property owners who own 30 percent of land within 300 feet of the property objected to the rezoning, the change required a three-fourths vote by Mohave County Board of Supervisors, according to Arizona Revised Statutes.

The planning commission recommended approval by a unanimous vote, and supervisors followed up with a 5-0 vote at their July 6 regular meeting. Supervisor Jean Bishop said she met with the developer at the site and was satisfied with his plans.

The building was once a motel and had been converted to a single-family residence when it was no longer active. Zoning was changed from commercial to residential.

They wanted restrictions on development to protect the community should the property change ownership in the future. They also wanted residents to be able to participate in the approval process for the general site plan.

In a June 9 letter to Supervisors Gary Watson and Jean Bishop, the McLartys said Burge made a verbal commitment to address each of their concerns and assured them he would maintain the integrity of the rural community.

Burge said he'll start reconstruction in about 30 days, and it will take at least 60 days to complete. The estimated renovation cost is $125,000.

Broker award

ReMax Prestige Properties of Kingman was recently included in the top 1,000 real estate brokerage firms in the 27th annual RISMedia Power Broker Report.

The report ranks firms by closed transactions and sales volume for the year.

Dwayne Patterson, owner and broker of ReMax Prestige, said his office closed 1,276 residential transactions in 2014 for a total sales volume of more than $182 million.

Being ranked in the Power Broker Report validates ReMax Prestige's reputation as a trusted resource for homebuyers and sellers, Patterson said.

"Realtors at ReMax Prestige are some of the highest trained and most professional Realtors in the business, and this is why we receive these awards and recognition," Patterson said.

Among the top real estate agents at ReMax Prestige are Gary Lott, Jonny Meins and Lauri Barker.

P.O. contract

It's official. Craig Graves received the contract on July 1 from U.S. Postal Service to operate the downtown Kingman post office indefinitely.

USPS announced last year it would close the downtown post office when the contract expired on Dec. 31, following the death of Helen Graves, who had operated the facility for about 35 years.

The contract was extended on a monthly basis after Mayor Richard Anderson and the Mohave County Board of Supervisors wrote to congressional representatives questioning USPS' decision to close the profitable business. Many downtown post office customers are elderly and said they couldn't drive to the main post office on Johnson Avenue.

Digital county

Mohave County was awarded 10th place for counties of its size in the 2015 Digital Counties Survey that recognizes leading examples of counties using technology to improve service and boost efficiency.

The Center for Digital Government and National Association of Counties recognized Mohave County for its online meeting portal that gives residents access to audio and video from Board of Supervisors' meetings, along with agendas, meeting minutes and backup documentation.

Residents can use a credit card for a number of online payments, including water bills, traffic fines, library fees, taxes and permit fees.

Also, the county installed mobile data terminals in sheriff's patrol cars, giving officers real-time access to mug shots, GIS location of other officers and information that helps them do their jobs.